Post navigation

The verb ‘voortborduren’ is derived from ‘borduren’: to embroider. So what’s the difference? The adverb ‘voort’ means ‘forward’ (or ‘on’) in Dutch and indicates continuation. So we continue embroidering? Yes, but only figuratively in the meaning of elaborating on an existing plan, theme or trend. It often implies that one continues elaboration along the same path and expands, so it is not about adding detail. So what if you really want to continue embroidering? Then you would say ‘voortgaan met borduren’, although ‘verder gaan’ would be more common.

Examples:– “Mandie, heb je een heel nieuw liedje geschreven?” – “Niet echt, ik heb voortgeborduurd op het vorige thema, maar deze versie is uiteindelijk wel de beste denk ik.” (“Mandie, did you write a completely new song?” – “Not really, I embroidered on the previous theme, but in the end I think this (new) version is the best one.” Note that ‘liedje’ is commonly used for popular songs accompanied by an instrument. A ‘lied’ is usually only sung.)

– “Heb je de nieuwste film van Tarantino gezien? Ik nog niet. Borduurt hij voort op zijn vorige films, of is het nu iets totaal anders?” (“Have you seen Tarantino’s latest movie? I haven’t yet. Is it similar to his previous movies, or is it something completely different this time?” Note that in Dutch it is also common to say ‘nieuwste’ (‘newest’) when you mean ‘latest’.)

– “Ik wil dat jullie niet voortborduren op het voorbeeld uit het boek, maar met iets origineels komen. Succes!” (“I do not want you to embroider on the example from the text book, but instead I want you to come up with something original. Good luck!”)

– “Zal de nieuwe paus voortborduren op het werk van zijn voorganger of een totaal andere weg inslaan?” (“Will the new pope continue along the same lines as his predecessor or will he choose a completely different direction?” Lit. ‘turn onto a totally different road’.)

Things to remember from this DWOTD
– The difference between ‘borduren’ and ‘voortborduren’;
– The difference between a ‘liedje’ and a ‘lied’;
– The meaning of the adjective ‘nieuwste’ in ‘nieuwste film’;
– ‘Good luck!’ in Dutch is not ‘goede geluk!’ but ‘succes!’;
– The meaning of ‘een andere weg inslaan’.

Last Saturday I ended up in an Amsterdam bar in the Jordaan called ‘Café Nol‘ (on Westerstraat), together with Laura. They play sing-along music with many Dutch classics (such as any André Hazes song 😉 ). At one point we heard the song ‘Groot hart’ (‘Big heart’) by Dutch band ‘De Dijk’. It’s a nice song (with interesting Dutch idiom too) and I thought I’d share it with you.

The band ‘De Dijk’ has been around since 1981 and is part of Dutch rock/pop heritage. Read more about the band here.

You can use ‘dijk’ figuratively in the expression: ‘Een dijk van een [noun]’: a great [noun]. Example: ‘De Dijk is een dijk van een band’: ‘De Dijk’ is a great band. Or: ‘Hij is een dijk van een kerel’: he’s a great guy. Note that the [noun] represents a person or (group of persons).

(Ik) heb er nu al jaren last van, ook al doet het niet echt pijn(I has been bothering me for years, even though it does not really hurt)

Maar ik val voor alle vrouwen, alle vrouwen op dit bal(But I have a thing for (/ I fall for) all women, all women at this ball (dance) [Note the use of ‘vallen voor iemand’: to fall for somebody (amorously).])

Da’s veel te veel om van te houden, dokter, ik heb een spoedgeval(That’s way too much to love, doctor, I have an emergency [Note that here the text deviates from the original lyrics that say ‘Het is een spoedgeval’: it is an emergency. This would also be the more common thing to say. A common way to shorten ‘dat is’ in speech is ” da’s “.])

Ik heb een groot hart, dit hart is zo groot(I have a big heart, this heart is so big)

Het wordt nog mijn dood, dit hart is zo groot((If it goes on like this) it will be my death, this heart is so big [Note the use of the word ‘nog’: here it captures the feeling of ‘If it goes on like this’ or ‘If I don’t watch out then…’])

Ik heb een groot hart(I have a big heart)

Neem een ochtend als vanochtend, vroeg op want de zon die scheen(For example, a morning like this morning, (I) rose early because the sun was shining [Lit. ‘Neem een ochtend als vanochtend’ translates as ‘take a morning like this morning’.])

Opgeruimd loop ik naar buiten, en ik zie een vrouw, ik denk, alleen(With a clear head I go outside, and I see a woman, I think, alone [Note the use of the adjective ‘opgeruimd’ (cleaned up / organized). I think here he refers to his state of mind, but it could also mean that everything is generally in order (for him).])

Ik dacht dat ze naar me lachte, dus vrolijk lach ik naar haar terug(I thought she smiled at me, so cheerfully I smile back at her [Note that ‘to smile’ in Dutch is ‘glimlachen’. The verb ‘lachen’ is used for laughing in general, however ‘lachen naar’ takes on the same meaning as ‘glimlachen naar’. ‘Laughing at somebody’ becomes ‘iemand uitlachen’ in Dutch.])

Maar die boom was haar vriend, dokter, komt u vlug?(But that big guy turned out to be her boyfriend, doctor, (can you) please come quickly? [Note the use of the word ‘boom’: ‘tree’ in Dutch. Also slang for a tall strong guy, e.g. ‘een boom van een kerel’: a very tall and strong guy.])

Ik heb een groot hart, dit hart is zo groot(I have a big heart, this heart is so big)

Het wordt nog mijn dood, dit hart is zo groot((If it goes on like this) it will be my death, this heart is so big)

Ik heb een groot hart(I have a big heart)

Dokter straks is het weer lente, als u begrijpt wat ik bedoel(Doctor, soon it will be spring, if you know what I mean)

Al dat moois langs ‘s heren wegen, en dan krijg ik dat gevoel(All those beautiful things along this country’s roads, and then I get that feeling [Note that with ‘al dat moois’ the singer refers to women. A rare example of the use of the genetive case in Dutch is ‘des heren wegen’, oftened shortened to ” ‘s heren wegen”. Literally, ‘roads of the lord’, this generally refers to the public roads (often motor ways) in the Netherlands.])

Loop driemaal daags onder een auto(When walking, I get hit by a car three times a day [Lit. ‘onder een auto lopen’ translates as ‘to walk under a car’. Note the use of ‘driemaal daags’. This construct works in general for ‘multiple times a day’, e.g. ‘Neem tweemaal daags deze pil in’: takes this pill twice a day. However, it is much more common to say ‘drie keer per dag’.])

Da’s veel te veel om van te houden, zuster, weet u daar iets op?(That’s way too much to love, nurse, do you have a solution for that? [In the original lyrics, the singer sticks with ‘doctor’. Note the use of ‘ergens iets op weten’: to have a solution for something (or: to know how to deal with something.])

Ik heb een groot hart, dit hart is zo groot(I have a big heart, this heart is so big)

Het wordt nog mijn dood, dit hart is zo groot((If it goes on like this) it will be my death, this heart is so big)

Ik heb een groot hart(I have a big heart)

Things to remember from this DWOTD
– Dutch band ‘De Dijk‘;
– A common way to shorten ‘dat is’ in speech is ” da’s “;
– The meaning of ‘nog’ in ‘Het wordt nog mijn dood’;
– The difference between ‘lachen’ and ‘glimlachen’;
– The colloquial meaning of the noun ‘boom’;
– The meaning of ” ‘s heren wegen”;
– The use of ‘daags’ and ‘dagelijks’;
– How to use the construct ‘ergens iets op weten’.

There are three words for ‘end’ in Dutch: ‘eind’, ‘einde’ and ‘end’. Both ‘eind’ and ‘end’ can also be used in the meaning of ‘(a) distance’, see the Examples below.

Note that ‘end’ is mostly used informally. When not sure, it’s better to use ‘eind’ instead.

Examples:– “Ik vond het een goede film maar het eind viel erg tegen, vond je ook niet?” (“I thought it was a good movie, however the end was very disappointing, didn’t you think so too?”)

– “Pardon, weet u de weg naar de Lomanstraat?” – “Jazeker, u gaat hier rechts de straat in en dan aan het eind links afslaan. Daarna is het de tweede rechts.” – “Ok, dankuwel!” (“Excuse me, do you know the way to the Lomanstraat?” – “Absolutely, (you) enter the street here to the right and then turn left at the end. Then it is the second (street) on the right.” – “Okay, thank you!”)

– “Kunnen we niet beter de fiets nemen? Het is vanaf hier echt nog een heel eind lopen naar de Noordermarkt. En daarna moeten we ook weer terug!” (“Had we not better take the bicycle? From here it is still a very long walk to the Noordermarkt. And after that we also have to go back again!”)

Things to remember from this DWOTD
– How to use ‘eind’, ‘einde’ and ‘end’;
– What is a ‘kippeneindje’;
– An ‘eindje’ is not necessarily a short distance, despite the use of the diminutive;
– The Dutch word for ‘eventually’ is ‘uiteindelijk’.

(a lot) more people than you may think[phrase]
[je zal ze de kostmoe-ten ge-ven]

The noun ‘kost’ is the singular form of ‘kosten’: costs, expenses. In this meaning, the plural form is most common. The singular form ‘kost’ however is more commonly used in the meaning of ‘food’ (that you need on a daily basis). One may ask you for example (informally): ‘Wat doe jij voor de kost?’ (‘What do you do for a living?’).

The expression ‘Je zal ze de kost moeten geven’ translates as: ‘Imagine (/what if) you would have to feed them (on a daily basis)!’, and is used to say that one must not underestimate the number of people who (would) do a particular thing. In other words: ‘A lot more people than you may think!’.

You may also encounter this expression in the form ‘Ik zou ze niet graag de kost willen geven.’ Both examples are often followed by a sentence of the form: ‘…die […]’, see the Examples below.

Examples:– “Je zal ze de kost moeten geven die vergeten uit te checken bij het verlaten van de tram!” (“A lot more people than you may think forget to check out when exiting the tram.” This example refers to the use of the ‘OV-chipcard’ in Dutch public transport.)

– “Ik zou ze niet graag de kost willen geven die hun goede voornemens voor het nieuwe jaar al na een week op de lange baan schuiven.” (“There are really a lot of people who, already after one week (into the new year), postpone (and potentially cancel) their New Year’s resolutions.” Note the expression ‘Iets op de lange baan schuiven’: to postpone (for an implied longer period of time), often leading to cancellation of the plans.)

– “Ik vind het ongelofelijk hoeveel mensen links blijven rijden op de snelweg.” – “Nou, je zal ze de kost moeten geven!” (“I think it’s incredible how many people keep left on the highway/motorway.” – “Exactly, a lot of people…” In the Netherlands the rule is that one should keep right so that others can overtake; overtaking on the right is not allowed.)

Things to remember from this DWOTD
– ‘Kost’ in the meaning of ‘cost/expense’ is mostly used in the plural form ‘kosten’. There are many expressions in which ‘kost’ means ‘(daily portion of) food’;
– Difference between ‘eten’ and ‘voedsel’;
– Meaning of the phrase ‘Wat doe jij voor de kost?’.
– Meaning of the expression ‘Iets op de lange baan schuiven’.

A ‘huilebalk’ is an annoying child that cries or whines at the drop of a hat. The word is also used to describe adults who are known to whine quickly, or otherwise easily get emotionally upset. When talking about a baby that cries most of the time (including the night), we use the word ‘huilbaby’.

‘Huilebalk’ is composed of the stems of the verbs ‘huilen’ and ‘balken’. The latter used to mean ‘scream/cry’ however it is not used in that meaning anymore in the Netherlands (see Related words below). The verb ‘huilen’ was originally only used for dogs and wolves (compare ‘to howl’), however it is now the common verb for ‘to cry (tears)’.

Things to remember from this DWOTD
– The difference between a ‘huilebalk’ and a ‘huilbaby’;
– The use of ‘bij het minste of geringste’;
– The difference between ‘spelen met’ and ‘spelen tegen’;
– The common root of ‘huilen’ and ‘to howl’.